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Chargers hope to avoid injury bug

Brian “Penny” Collins spent a lot of his first season as Columbia State basketball coach trying to fill the spots of injured players.

“I am excited about the players we have this year,” said Collins, a former Belmont University standout. “I certainly hope we can be injury free.”

The Chargers open this weekend in the Pops Hudson Classic hosted by Volunteer State in Gallatin. Columbia plays Wallace State at 4 p.m. Friday, Wabash College at 3 p.m. Saturday and will host the Bethel University junior varsity at 7:30 p.m. Monday.

Collins has a 14-player roster, but plans to redshirt three of the squad members. That will leave him 11 players which will include nine newcomers.

The two returners, 6-4 guard Arturs Bremers and 6-4 wing player Sha’Karee Scaife, played key roles last season.

“She’Karee was our top scorer the last half of the season,” said Collins. “He scored 28 points twice, and 26 points in another game.”

Bremers, a sharpshooter from Latvia, has signed to play for North Carolina A&T after this season.

Setting the tempo among the new players are 5-11 guard Justin Pride and 6-5 combo guard T.J. Dunans.

“Both players have earned the respect of the player and the coaches. They will be our captains,” Collins said.

Dunans, who is from Atlanta, played at M.L. King before prepping at Action Sports Academy where he played with and against several future collegiate players.

Pride played at Huntsville Butler where he played a lead role in three state championships. A point guard, Pride is expected to bring a lot of quickness to the team.

The big man inside is Uros Benacek, but Collins said the 6-10 product of Czech Republic is very versatile.

“Uros can play with his back to the basket, but he can step outside and shoot the three,” said Collins.

Matt Smith, a 6-5 transfer from Mississippi Valley State where he averaged 10.2 points per game, is expected to start at forward. Smith played on theLiberty Tech team that won the TSSAA Class AA state championship in his junior year in high school.

Expected to produce in a forward’s role is 6-5 Antione Williams, who played at Jackson Northside, and 6-4 combo guard Kendrick May from Covenant Christian in Mobile (Ala.). Ivan Alsup, a 5-8 freshman who played at Nashville Overton, is a point guard.

Ikeem Bergeron-McLendon returns after a redshirt season. The 6-3 guard played for Nashville Hillsboro while 6-5 Matt Brown is a freshman from Cane Ridge High who redshirted last year.

Vari Craig, a 6-9 Murfreesboro Riverdale product, suffered a broken leg last season after starting the season as a strong rebounder and a consistent double figure scorer.

Craig is expected to be redshirted this season along with A.J. Dodd, who played a lot last year. Freshman Terick Hill will be redshirted, too.

— The Columbia State women will play Wallace State at 2 p.m. Friday and meet Wabash (Ill.) at 1 p.m. Saturday. The men meet Elizabethton (Ky.) at 3 p.m. Saturday.

— Columbia State plays their home opener Monday against junior varsity foes, the women versus Martin Methodist at 5:30 p.m. and the Bethel University men at 7:30 p.m.

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